A resume that works in Malaysia isn't fancy. It's clear. One to two pages, easy to skim, and easy for the ATS to read. The structure below covers most situations, whether you're a fresh grad or ten years deep into a career.

1. Contact details

Top of the page: your full name, a professional email, a Malaysian phone number in +60 format, and your location as city and state. 'Petaling Jaya, Selangor' is plenty. A LinkedIn link helps. You don't need your full home address anymore.

2. A short professional summary

Two or three lines on who you are, how much experience you've got, and what you're good at. Write it for the specific job, not as a one-size-fits-all paragraph you paste into everything.

3. Work experience

Most recent first. For each role, give your title, the company, location, and dates, then three to five bullets underneath. Start each with an action verb and, wherever you can, attach a number. 'Handled customer accounts' is forgettable. 'Managed 40+ corporate accounts worth RM3M' is not.

4. Education

Your highest qualifications: degree, institution, year. If you're a fresh grad, this can sit above your work experience, and it's worth adding a strong CGPA, relevant coursework, or your final-year project.

5. Skills and the extras that matter here

A tight list of skills relevant to the job: tools, software, technical abilities.
Languages: Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mandarin, Tamil, whatever you've got. This genuinely counts in the Malaysian market.
Certifications that relate to the role.
Optional: volunteer work or a standout achievement.

A few formatting habits

One page for fresh grads, two at most for experienced roles.
Single column, so the ATS doesn't get confused.
Consistent dates, fonts, and spacing. Sloppiness reads as carelessness.
Send a PDF unless they ask for something else.